Stein Collectors International
Featured Stein: June 2021

A Miniature Münchner Kindl Stein by J. B. Stahl for WEKARA

By Roy De Selms (Carolina Steiners) and Horst Barbian (Alte Germanen)

This month's "Featured Stein" was made by WEKARA and not by Mettlach as many have thought. Indeed there are no items numbered in the 3400's or 3500's listed in Mettlach catalogs up to 1905. This Münchner Kindl stein was made during the period 1920 to 1930 in six sizes from 1/40L. to 1/2L. and marked WEKARA. Some confusion probably arose because the smallest steins didn't have enough room to be fully marked with the WEKARA identification. The stein design can be attributed to Jean Baptiste Stahl thru an undated water color sketch that he made of the design (Horst Barbian, Mettlacher Turm, April 2013 pg. 112). It was likely done ca. 1925 and only survived by chance having been rescued from a garbage dump after WWII. Stahl continued his work as one of Mettlach's most prolific designers even after the great fire of 1921 at Mettlach until he retired in 1931. Sorrowfully he couldn't enjoy it very long and and passed away on January 31, 1932. J. B. Stahl is known to have supplied some of his last molds to WEKARA from Mettlach during this late period and this topic will be addressed in an upcoming Prosit article in the series "Mettlach at the AMOCA Museum".


1/40 L stein #3507

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